Monday, September 30, 2019

Critically Analyse How the Government Debt Problems Essay

Introduction Since the Greece’s debt crisis happened, the Euro zone has to confront with a huge sovereign debt crisis, like governments’ debt increased, bond yield spreads widened, Euro exchange rate fell as well, which caused that the whole international financial markets gradually lost the confidence. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the impact of this crisis both on foreign exchange and derivative markets. And the rest words is to analyse several possible reasons why this small economy could trigger such a wide impact on global financial markets, in which contagion can be considered as the fundamental and identifiable cause during the whole spread of crisis. The Impacts of European sovereign debt crisis Foreign exchange Foreign exchange market, as the largest and the most liquid financial market, with an average daily trading volume of nearly $1.5 trillion changing hands where statistically it is superior to all US equity and Treasure markets combined (Michelle Chan, 2011), was expectedly deteriorated as well as fluctuated by the ongoing European debt sovereign crisis since 2008. On one hand, the foreign exchange market reflected considerable stress under the lingering European debt crisis. On the basis of the Financial markets Stability Map(Graph1), apparently, financial markets, particularly the foreign exchange market continued to be weaker and experienced the heightened volatility. This weakness is shown in the graph1 that risks successively increase as the movement gradually moves away from the map center. Dissimilarly, risks in the rest of three components of the financial markets stability map, banking sector funding, debt and equity markets remained largely stable as well as unchanged, compared with the foreign exchange market. Generally to say, as indicated by the trends in the Financial Stability Map, the overall stability of the financial system kept in a robust development. Graph1 Financial Stability Map [pic] Source: Bloomberg On another hand, the foreign exchange rate was deeply influenced as well, particularly the depreciation of the Euro was more prominent against non-European currencies, such as yen, the USD and the GBP, as non-European currencies was coinstantaneously affected by spillover effects from the euro-zone. According to the graph2, the euro has depreciated against the USD and Japanese yen by around 25 percent since the late 2011, but by approximately 4 to 8 percent against the UK pound. Overall, the euro has depreciated by 8 percent on a trade-weighted basis (TWI) since the mid 2011, fluctuating around its average index. Graph 2 Euro against Selected Currencies [pic] Source: Bloomberg; RBA On the contrary, according to the Graph3, the Japanese yen had been depreciated slightly and modestly against the USD from its nearest highest rate in late November 2011. Generally to say, the yen was smoothly unchanged against the US dollar during the time period of six mouths. Nevertheless, the yen has appreciated by 7 percent against the euro since late 2011, reaching a highest level during past 11 years at the beginning of 2012. Reflecting this in the graph2, Japan’s nominal trade-weighted index (TWI) has recovered to historically high levels, though it remains only above its long-run average in real term (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2012). Graph 3 Japanese Effective Exchange Rates [pic] Sourceï ¼Å¡ BIS; RBA As for the USD, it was appreciated extremely strongly against the euro since late November 2011, seen in the Graph4, but depreciated against other foreign currencies. Concerning the trade-weighted index (TWI), the USD was mostly unchanged since 2011. Graph 4 US Dollar against Selected Currencies [pic] Source: Bloomberg Oppositely, after fluctuational depreciating during the past few months, several emerging market currencies have appreciated since the beginning of 2012(Graph5). However, as the continuous concerns about spillover effects from the euro area debt crisis, emerging European currencies remained relatively weak nowadays. Graph5 Emerging Market Currencies [pic] Sources: Bloomberg; IMF; RBA Derivative Market In 2001, in order to enter European Union, Greece referred the U.S. Goldman Sachs to design the currency swaps, which facilitated Greece join the European union. Nevertheless after predicting the prospects of the Greek economy, Goldman bought German CDS credit default swap insurance and gambled that Greek could not afford such a large sum of payment of insurance that purchased the cheap CDS. When Greece debt broke out, distribute the bad news of the Greece’s pay ability to increase the price of CDS and earn the price differences. With the emergence of European debt crisis, the credit rating of some countries like Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain had been downgraded in term of there sovereign credit, which means the international markets would no longer trust these economical situation and credit rating levels. As a result,most of potential buyers and sellers of bonds in the sovereign debt market began to suspect the governments’ ability to repay its debt, and then they will require a higher bond discount rate in the potential risk of default about sovereign bond as the part of the compensation of risk premium. When the discount rate significantly exceeds the risk-free rate, the national debt will be in a rather high discount rate. In addition, the CDS price of the European countries increased rapidly. As we saw from the graph6, the Greece five years CDS price had reached to almost 1500, which reflects the buyer of the CDS have to cost a relatively higher fix rate to buy the Greece’s credit ri sk call option. Graph 6 5 years’ Sovereign CDS risk premium and Sovereign credit rating in different countries. [pic] Source: Bloomberg Another impact on derivation market is the Futures and Options. Traders and hedge funds had bet nearly $8bn ( £5.1bn) to against the euro, amassing the biggest ever short position in the single currency on fears of a euro-zone debt crisis. Figures from CME(Chicago Mercantile Exchange) illustrates that investors had enhanced their positions against the euro to record levels. This phenomena demonstrates that investors were losing confidence in the single currency’s ability to withstand any contagion from Greece’s budget problems affecting other European countries(Financial Time, 2010). Additionally, European debt crisis aggravated as the Moody turn 17 German banks rating outlook to negative on the 25th of July. The bear have the advantage in the Futures and Options market. How does the European debt crisis transmission Since the Greece was downgraded by credit rating companies, European sovereign debt crisis broke out and then intensified across the euro-zone. Other European countries like Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Germany and other primary euro-zone countries had begun to be impacted by such an unavoidable crisis(Graph 7), simultaneously the euro fell sharply. With European stock markets at rock bottom, the euro area was experiencing the most severe difficulty since its inauguration. Whist the debt crisis was unexpected expanded. As to how and why this small economies could trigger such a wide impact in financial markets, it must be the financial contagion. Graph 7 How sovereign debit crisis could spread through the Euro-zone [pic] The inter-contagion within a country could be considered as an essential cause that triggered such a wide impact in financial markets. The interconnectedness means that a crisis in one can cripple the other (Daniel and Harold, 2012). As European banks are much more deeply connected to their individual governments, euro-zone banks naturally hold large shares of their governments’ debt, like in Greece and Germany, domestic banks hold nearly 20 percent of domestic government debt, and Spanish banks hold around 30 percent (Silvia and John, 2012). So look, other financial domestic institutions may hold much domestic debt as well, such as insurance companies. Government. Spain exemplifies contagion spreading from banks to government. Spain’s banks were loaded with mortgages that went bad when the country’s housing bubble popped. Despite modest debt and budget surpluses in six of the seven years preceding the crisis (World Bank, 2007), the band crisis caused the governm ent to lose control of its financing. Generally to say, government risk could affect banks, otherwise, if banks fail, the government’s bond market customers are bankrupt (The Heritage Foundation, 2012). And moreover, with the momentum of the globalization, the world economy is becoming tightly linked, like non-euro countries’ governments or banks hold the European bonds. It means that problems in one part of the world can reverberate almost everywhere else-risking a cascade of default contagion, contracting credit and collapsing economic activity. For example, in October 2011, Italian borrowers owed French banks $366 billion (net). Should Italy be unable to finance itself, the French banking system and economy could come under significant pressure, which in turn would affect France’s creditors(Seth et al., 2011). Greece, for instance, its debt is held by a host of other EU members. Once it defaults, the ripple effect for the economy as a whole would be devastating across the region, probably the world. The statistics from the IMF illustrated that the German banks held Greek government bonds up to totaling $ 14.1 billion and $ 13.4 billion was held by French banking ind ustry. And also the China holds nearly 600 billion Euros of the European bonds. So if the debtor countries cannot pay the money on time ,not only itself but also these creditor will under a huge financial pressure. This is simply showed by the MF Global who is the biggest victims in the European debt crisis that Global voted to file for bankruptcy. The main reason why MF Global got into financial trouble is because it bought over 6 billion U.S. dollars in European sovereign debt, mainly related to the national debt of countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Belgium. Finally, European debt crisis have the first victims outside the region of the Europe. Thus,the connection each economic system makes the risk contagious simply. Apart from those mentioned above, an alternative way for this crisis transmission is the relation among correlation coefficients in the conditional correlation model (DCC),which may be related to herding behaviour, specially the rating agency continually reduced euro-zone counties’ grades and as well as influences formed the short-selling speculators.Some studies estimated a dynamic conditional correlation model (DCC) in order to analyse the correlation structure of Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Belgian and Austrian bond yield spreads over the German yield to study contagion in the Euro Area. In particular, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Belgian yield spreads do increase along with their Greek counterpart. Thus it seems that Greek financial problems could spread via contagion to other Euro Area countries. As European counties are related, if it is more likely for similarly bad rated countries to sustain a rating cut once Greek was downgraded, then for such countries the control variable should have a positive impact on the correlation coefficients(Sebastian and Sebastian, 2011). Therefore in terms of European debt crisis, contagion occurs when investors believe that other countries, in addition to the original country facing economic crisis, pose a risk of finance loss and act accordingly(Lia Menà ©nde, 2012). And according to the Herd Instinctï ¼Å'other European countries, to some extend, would be influenced,particularly for those counties who had been facing such problems. Due to the European sovereign debt crisis not only impacted the bond market, the equity market, money market and foreign exchange market, even the whole world was also affected. As all the country has International Reserves, Gold Reserves and Foreign Exchange Reserves, it can be evidently reflected that a bigger concern would be jitters over if sovereign debt become less focused on euro-zone and more global. As the stock price declined, and the euro devaluated, Europe’s crisis will no longer be Europe’ s along. It would affect the global trade balances even. Conclusion Since the early 2010, the Euro Area faced a severe sovereign debt crisis, resulting from government deficits and debt levels which triggered rating agencies subsequently to downgrade the credit ratings of nine euro area sovereigns, thereby creating a loss of confidence in financial markets. Learning from this crisis, bank should increase their capital to counteract the loss and passive influences of the crisis. And meanwhile, governments need to broaden revenue and strengthen the budget management, as well as control the government debt reasonably, particularly, investors’ confidence should be reactuated urgently. Reference [1] Chan, M. (2011) Robin Hood Meets Wall Street (online). Poole: Friends of the Earth. Available from: http://www.foe.org/news/archives/2011-02-robin-hood-meets-wall-street (Accessed 22 Feb 2011). [2] Reserve Bank Of Australia(2012). Statement on Monetary Police (online). Available from: http://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/2012/feb/html/intl-fx-mkts.html (Assessed 9 August 2012). [3] Financial Time,2010:’raders in record bet against the euro’ (online)Available from:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9203f08c-151a-11df-ad58-00144feab49a.html#axzz2BOITU3eG [4] Daniel, W. and Harold, H. (2012). Spain’s Banks, Government Co-Dependent on Debt . Associated Press. June 25, 2012. Available from:http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Spain-s-banks-government-co-dependent-on-debt-3660227.php (Accessed June 26, 2012) [5] Silvia Merler and John Pisani-Ferry (2012), Who’s Afraid of Sovereign Bonds?†Bruegel Policy Contribution. No. 2012/02, February 2012. Available from: http://docs.jean-jaures.net/NL470/21.pdf (Accessed June 26, 2012). [6] World Bank, World Development Indicators. Cash Surplus/Deficit as % of GDP 2001–2007. [7] Furth, S. and Ligon, J. L. (2012) How Contagious Is Europe’s Economic Crisis? Backgrounder (online), No.2726. Available from: http://report.heritage.org/bg2726 (Accessed 18 Sep. 2012). [8] Seth W. Feaster; Nelson D. Schwartz; Tom Kuntz (2011-10-22). â€Å"NYT-It’s All Connected-A Spectators Guide to the Euro Crisis†. New York Times Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/10/22/opinion/20111023_DATAPOINTS.html?ref=sunday-review. Retrieved 2012-05-14. [9] Sebastian Missio;Sebastian Watzka,(2011-08-31).†Financial Contagion and the European Debt Crisis†Journal of Economic Literature, E43, E44, E63. p2. [10] Menà ©ndez, L.(2012). The spread of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis(online). Available from: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:IaD0olBUZ2kJ:ebook.law.uiowa.edu/ebook/sites/default/files/Spread%2520of%2520the%2520European%2520Sovereign%2520Debt%2520Crisis.pdf+The+spread+of+the+European+Sovereign+Debt+Crisis&hl=zh-CN&

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Nike Brand Equity

Case 6 Nike Celess Valk MKTG 4082 10/29/12 To answer question one it’s important to not that Nike has created a very powerful image in the minds of consumers in America. Nike wanted consumers to see it as an innovative brand that produces top of the line performance gear that was associated with very powerful and important athletes (mostly males). Their profile users are represented as famous athletes such as Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. The athletes reflected the brand personalities such as competitive, winners, strong, and better than the rest.This also is a way for Nike to obtain credibility and quality. With the Air Jordan line, Nike sold over $100 million shoes in the first year (129). Nike’s sources of brand equity hit all the way to the top of the CBBE pyramid for American consumers. Within the first two years alone Nike had 50% of the market share for athletic shoes. Salience is huge with the Nike logo. About 97% of Americans were able to recognize the Nike lo go in 2000 (139). Imagery and performance were the main points that Nike stressed with its brand when it advertised itself.Nike stresses its performance as a main key point. Nike has been able to fulfill individual needs or judgments such as self-respect and self-confidence (which you obtain when wearing shoes that the athletes wear). It fulfills needs that are more difficult to articulate such as the social needs for power and belonging. Resonance is obtained through the athletic communities Nike has built such as the relationships that were built with the athletes on Nike’s behalf as well as the consumer’s behalf with the Air Jordan line.It doesn’t surprise me that Europeans had a lack of respect for the Nike brand as stated in question two. To start off, Europe didn’t have the same view on certain sports as well as the fact that their athlete idols were different. Second, athletic shoe specialty stores didn’t even exist there. Third, their cultu re is different than the American culture so naturally there are going to be some ways in which Nike is unappealing to their cultural values. Nike was seen as an aggressive, arrogant, and intimidating brand due to its strong advertising and the message of power and performance.This advertising technique and these values worked in America, but not so well in Europe. Europeans were more traditional and less competitive. Some TV channels even refused to air the Nike vs. Evil advertisements. To change these views Nike decided to create an image in the consumers minds to be seen as culturally, personally, and geographically relevant to the consumers while keeping their logo and brand name constant. Nike gained 90% control of the brand distribution in Europe to make sure that happened (133).Nike became more involved as a sponsor of sports leagues such as soccer and emphasizes its â€Å"apparel† in general. In 1997, Nike decided to also adjust its global branding strategy to tune do wn violent advertising techniques and resonated with regional interests. They used the two best-known athletes to create a sense of awareness and attachment to the brand globally. They even toned down the use of the swoosh logo and created product lines that were more community building and less aggressive to consumers.In Asia, more specifically, Nike used ads with athletes that were local to their culture and stayed away from the aggressive advertising they once used that gave them irreverence in Europe. They learned their lesson and knew they needed to start out with a soft advertising approach and increase their brand awareness. To answer Question three, I will emphasize a few main points. Nike is known for innovative products globally with their shoe lines, Shox or AirJordan, but their image tarnished slightly from the working situations they found in Asia.The imagery and feelings surrounding Nike now for Americans may be weaker due to this. As Americans, we believe strongly in freedom, equality, and the privilege to have those. Nike basically took advantage of that and treated their employees in Asia with very little freedom and treated them unfairly. Even though the sweatshops scandal weakened the image of Nike in the minds of Americans, Nike is still are seen as a powerful brand that emphasizes performance, power, and gives its consumers a vision to be the best. The sweatshops weakened their image in the minds of Americans.As I stated before, aggressive advertisements work for Americans because we are a society that is so strongly attached to our sports, individualism, performance, and are competitive in general. However, as we saw in question 2 that approach doesn’t work well globally. In order to appeal to the world, Nike needed to make some local adjustments as well as global changes for its brand. Europe’s brand equity sources stem mainly from its attachments to the soccer community and apparel line. In 1999 the company’s soccer orders from Europe grew over 100% from the previous year (140).Nike has strong performance, salience, and even resonance in this respect. Although competition, Reebok, may have better imagery, Nike has worked hard to improve theirs in European minds and must be doing something right with numbers that impressive. In Asia, Nike has strong brand equity from its image, performance, and judgments. They didn’t create such strong advertising techniques since they learned their lesson in Europe. This gave Asians a chance to see Nike in a positive light from the start, which makes their brand equity source from judgments and feelings better off the bat as compared to Europe’s brand equity sources.Asian sales led the stock price to more than $70/share for the first time ever. Even after the collapsed economy they were ordering Nike goods and Nike kept with them. From this one could infer they are loyal customers, which reaches the higher levels of the CBBE pyramid (feelings and resonance). References: Keller, Kevin Lane. â€Å"Nike: Building a Global Brand. †Ã‚  Best Practice Cases in Branding: Lessons from the World's Strongest Brands. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Prentice Hall, 2003. 125-47. Print.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Critical Reading, Writing, & My Learning Patterns Essay

When I was reading the four stories from the learners in chapter three, I noticed that each of them used different patterns to write their papers. Makayla was one learner that used sequence first. She was very inquiring when it came down to what she was asked to do. Makayla needed to know too much and in this case it led her to have a duel and repetitious assignment. The advice I would give Makayla would be to field fit this, trying to focus using a different learning pattern or approach. Makayla should have written her thoughts down first and not worried so much about being correct, so she would be able to provide new information and a more clearly written paper. Another way for Makayla to field fit would be to start in the middle and not focus on a specific laid out plan. Begging and end come last. While reading about the second learner John, I read that he had used precision first. In using precision first, he stumbled over everything he was trying to say and also had written too much unnecessary information. With John doing this, it led his family to confusion and made it hard to plan anything. Seeing as how this was the only way of communication for him at the time, John should have written a more simple direct message and paid more attention to whom his audience was. Field Fitting this situation can be a difficult process in the since that without all the information needed, it is hard to rearrange anything . As for his family, I would have told them to take out the extra things he had to say and try to focus more on the importance. My advice for john would be that when writing anything, make sure you know your audience, and to pay attention to what you’re writing and who you are writing it to; especially if it’s the only form of communication you have available to you. Reading the third learners stories, I see that they used technical reasoning . Paul was more concerned about completion than accuracy. In this case, I would have suggested that he try to use precision when gathering all of the data and facts, instead of just using his own thoughts and opinion s. Seeing as how he uses technical reasoning, another way for Paul to field fit this would be to draw pictures and make graphs as he was reading. This would have helped him better understand and also would have given him a visual on how to start writing his paper. With the fourth learner, Raheem relied on confluence and  took too many risks when writing his paper. He didn’t have enough information and failed to use another learning pattern that would have helped make a better paper. My advice for Raheem would be to first make sure that all of the data is collected for the assignment, then try using a different pattern when writing the paper and also tell him to ask for help if he is uncertain about the tools provided to him. Take time to prepare and use your weaknesses as a model to help find your strengths. Based on my learning patterns ( S 31 , C 20 , P 28 , TR 27 ,) the challenges I feel I will face with reading and writing at a college level is when reading, I tend to use t echnical reasoning more. I jump around and skim through content just to get the main idea. Because I do this, I overlook important pieces of information. When looking at what I can do to fix this, I see that I need to make sure I have the time to focus on what I am reading and why. Also, I need to make sure to write it all down so I am not only obtaining the information, but I am also visualizing it to get a better understanding of it as a whole. When it comes to writing, I feel that I am a strong writer. Writing is something I love to do. I always like to express my thoughts, focus on the audience, and use as much information I can. With saying that, I may sometimes use too much information, or I will use sequence and be meticulous with if it is correct or not. One way that I can help get through this is practice and make sure I’m just getting all of my thoughts out. Going back and re-reading is a good way that not only lets me see my mistakes, but it also helps me to learn from them. The three things I keep in mind to make my writing go by easier, is to write free of the rules, get all of my thoughts out first and pay attenti on to grammar and spelling last.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Management - Essay Example And, of course, they have an advantage in that they are known for offering the lowest prices around. Although a very successful corporation, Walmart does have some weaknesses and challenges. One weakness is that because they have expanded into so many different areas they may lose out to competitors who are more narrowly focused and specialized. They also only have a presence in relatively few countries in addition to the U.S. Yet the fact that Walmart doesn’t have a dominant presence in other countries means that the opportunity to obtain a larger presence in these countries still exists. So even though Walmart is large, there are still opportunities for expansion. One threat to Walmart is that being number one means that you always have a target on your back, so to speak. There will always be competition and price wars with Walmart both locally and globally. Amazon.com, for example, poses a threat to Walmart because they are known for having the lowest prices around as well. Also, the gap that Walmart used to have on low-cost manufacturing is closing and other stores are now able to manufacture for less as well (Marketingteacher.com, 2010). After researching these sources the best strategy for Walmart in the future is to continue to be the low-cost and low-price leader and continue to expand globally. They should also continue to form strategic alliances locally and internationally as they have done so with companies like Stanley Works and America Online (Walmart,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Analysis of Three Selected Poems by Robert Frost Research Paper

Analysis of Three Selected Poems by Robert Frost - Research Paper Example After his death, life became tough for the family and they moved to live with their grandfather who used to live in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His mother then supported her children by working as a teacher in a school. In the year 1892, Frost completed his graduation from the Lawrence High School where he developed a liking for poetry. His poems were published in his school magazine. His first official work was ‘My Butterfly: An Elegy’ which appeared in the New York Independent in the year 1894. This was the beginning of his career as a poet. In the following year, Robert Frost got married to Elinor Miriam White. Frost took up different professions which included farming as well as teaching. He was unsuccessful in these and he finally sold the farm for a journey to England. In 1912, he settled in Beaconsfield, a small town outside London. This is where he found the fascination for rural life and nature, which became the chief ingredients for his poetry. After a year of his arrival in England, he started walking towards the path of success as his poems became successful. He published his first book of poetry ‘A boy’s will.’ The book was welcomed by the public and notable poets of the time. He has written many famous poems which include the Oven Bird, The Road Not Taken and The Gift Outright. An analysis of these poems assists in understanding the theme of the poems (Francis 2004; Thompson 1959). The Oven Bird In this poem, Frost uses the sobriquet of the Oven Bird that sings beautifully in the jungle, sending the message of the changing seasons. But a point comes when the bird stops singing. The poem follows two important themes. It presents the theme of modernism and the destruction of nature owing to this. He also uses the different seasons to explain the life of a man and the aspect of ageing. With the assistance of the poem, Frost tries to convey the message that modernism had sucked out all the simple joys of life. Everything is losing its natural gleam and machines are taking over, making life fast and self-centered. For the poet, the lofty purpose of life is lost. For him, the height of life’s purpose existed in the classical era. Like many poets of his time, Frost believed that life’s joys were lost as man moved away from nature. Frost was a true admirer of nature and he believed that nature was not being preserved. The second idea that is presented in the poem is that of ageing and death. The seasonal changes depict the changes in the life of the people. The season of spring is indicative of the youth of an individual which serves as the peak in every human beings life. But despite of all these changes, ageing and death are unavoidable. The word â€Å"diminished† in the last line of the poem clearly reveals the fact of mortality and explains that everything has to end and death is the ultimate end. Robert Frost, thus, shows the different phases of life with the assistance of the seasons. A student of Robert Frost Sydney Cox used to refer to Frost by calling him â€Å"The Oven Bird.† It was implied by him that the poem was indicative of the life of Robert Frost himself. Cox believed that Frost had reflected his personality in the poem and at the same time he had discussed the issue of the damage that was being brought to nature. He indicated that Frost was actually

Rise of Civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Rise of Civilizations - Essay Example The old world began to flourish with the Nile culture. It was around this time that the Egyptian began building sophisticated technologies and interactions with other cultures through trade important new techniques to Egypt. It is from this background that this paper seeks to inquire into the role of women in the rise of civilization in the old world in the Eastern and African civilization. An explosion of knowledge and the curiosity of adventure facilitated the revolution from the old world to the new world of civilization. In the pre-history of civilization, the role of women cannot be ignored. The first section of this paper inquires into the pre-historical times of North Africa and Europe and tracks the rise of civilization among the primitive humans. Egyptian civilization dominates discourse in early civilization as early as in the 4th century. The spread of this civilization to other parts of Africa, Asia and Europe through human contact saw the rapid increase in knowledge and sophisticated architectural advancement. The second part inquires into the emergence of new world characterized by a rampant technological advancement. Focus is narrowed to North America, Central America, the Caribbean and the South American. The Pre-European age and the role of women in the age is discussed in detail. ... 1). It is evident that political unification was a key played in shaping the cultural patterns of Egypt in the old kingdom. The entire period of Egyptian civilization was a systematic continuum of socio-cultural changes. A civilization is the starting point of any society. This has been the foundation of great societies like the Greeks and Romans. The rise of cities in North Africa as a feature of civilization is traced to cultivation activities along the Nile. The production of surplus food energized the people and expanded the population. Massive population growth led to the expansion of villages into cities along the villages of Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East. The fertile land between the two rivers led to the development of powerful dynasties to control and protect this treasurer from intruders. Archaeological evidence shows piles of ruins in the valleys of Nile as the remains of opulent cities, well-organized social structures and political organization. From this archaeological evidence, it is clear that ancient civilization never began in the West. It originated in Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Asia, as John G. Jackson writes. "Those piles of ruins which you see in that narrow valley watered by the Nile, are the remains of opulent cities the pride of the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia They are a people now forgotten. A race of men now rejected from society for their supple skin and frizzled hair" (Jackson, 1939). The position of women in ancient civilization varies in Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Levant, Greek, Romans and Anatolia civilizations. The Egyptians are said to have treated their women better than any other civilization and this was prompted

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Foucaults Discipline and Punishment Theory Essay

Foucaults Discipline and Punishment Theory - Essay Example Relative to calls for equal protection of laws has idealized the non-usurpation of pain infliction that questioned forms of punishment in stark contrast to ethical beliefs that crime can be prevented at its root cause. An alternative approach to reform and behavioral modification has given rise to the discussion of multi-disciplinary approach and theories to that prevent the incidence of criminal deviation. This approach has gained wider acceptance as a preventive means in stark contrast to the allowance a certain crime to happen before society takes action and incur varying degrees of physical punishment to the individual. Several believed that a variety of factors is believed to enhance the incidence of the violence in mankind that tends specifically recruit others to form a stronger criminal group. Recognizing the increasing scope, intensity and sophistication of crimes brought about by globalization as a mattress for drug operations, trafficking of arms and humans and laundering, countries have acknowledged the true nature of crime prevention. Efficient criminal justice systems have set standards and protocols that require cooperation to counter international syndicates. Certain preventive theories have equated crime prevention in the individual capacity to control and restrain urges; Foucault as an anthropologist has decried this philosophy with an apparent affront to discipline and punishment. He has equated prisons as a form of discipline that utilizes technological power. His argument against public spectacle of torture is equated with forms to entertain and satisfy the perverse need of the society to play God. Playing revenge against the convict or a felon has given law the authority to act as an extension of the sovereign's body who is allowed to inflict harm as payment for a felonious and criminal act. Hence Foucault provides the unintended consequences that the convict's body is used either to gain sympathy or admiration that fulfills a crowd's curiosity. Totally radical against public executions, Foucault notes that such theatrics often leads to riots in support of the prisoner. Its political cost was often high and is interpreted as the an tithesis to modern society. Stance against Violence Violence, is seen in Foucault's theory of power (1975) in a two-fold dimension. First, it recognizes that violence cannot be seen simply as a destructive force existing alone, since the damaging effects are considered as consequences of an attempt to analyze and understand the meaning and origins of people's identities and their attributes whether in groups and societies which are continuously invented and transformed. Secondly, it sees the trans-humanist forces widen the boundaries of knowledge to create a non-progressive series of historically distinct patterns of human and social response. In relation to violence, it is then possible that policy options in the present will always be restricted to the confines of the prevailing repertoire of violence, and therefore that any system of response is in fact a reflection not so much of the will of the people who set it in place. In place here was remotely discussed in mort of Foucault's discourses as the unpredictable play of power. Fo ucault's theoretical perspective offers a useful

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Media in contemporary culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Media in contemporary culture - Essay Example Of course, different people have various opinions on why the advertising is effective. For example, Berger, who wrote Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture states advertising are a lottery, as it is still that nobody knows what advertisement will be effective and what will not. Berger adds that the advertisement executives believe that they waste half of money, spent on advertisements, but no one knows which half it is. (2000, p.2-3). Nowadays media is one of the most powerful instruments of forming the opinions of its consumers. Most of the marketing strategies that exist nowadays are built on the influences of the media. It is the irreplaceable instrument for selling things. Decades ago people bough what they needed, and their needs were dictated by their life conditions and financial status. It is nowadays that at first media creates the need in the specific product or group of products in people, and than they purchase the advertised thing. Thanks to the media people no longer buy things they need; they rather buy the attributes of the desired social status. Hirschman (2003) states that core societal values have an important role on advertising production and reception. Thus, to become fashionable, a product has to be promoted emphasizing its contribution to those societal values. Today media dictates people not only what they should buy, but also how they should behave, and what should they long for. Lindner, the author of the study, which analyzes the images of women in general interest and fashion magazine advertisements, states that: "advertisements often contain very subtle clues about gender roles and may operate as socializing agents on several levels. Because advertisements are publicly broadcast, the men and women portrayed are often perceived to represent the whole population, and men and women in the advertisements seem to accept these portrayed behaviors,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Both sides of free trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Both sides of free trade - Research Paper Example ironmental sustainability, the citification mechanism of producers in exporting countries and certification of products in importing countries and creating awareness of such products among consumers of the developed world (Singh, 2001). On the other hand free trade is a global effort to carry out international trade free of negative protectionist practices such as higher tariffs on imports, subsidies to domestic producers, foreign exchange restrictions, dumping cheaper goods abroad, imposing dubious standards on imports and import substitution by propping up unwieldy domestic industries. Theoretically free trade is based on neoliberal economic principles dating back to Ricardo’s argument on the principle of comparative advantage. Free trade and fair trade aren’t necessarily the same though some of the ultimate outcomes would converge. In fact divergences between the two are many and if free trade were practiced with full force indeed, fair trade would take a back seat. Globalization has been the catch word used by many who advocate free trade. Such people vehemently support all and everything in the name of free trade. On the other hand fair trade is a distant cousin of free trade. An inevitable aspect of this relationship between the two is that the former is marginalized while the latter is well placed at the center of the global market. Fair trade is essentially replete with intricate nuances ranging from market access facilitation processes to marginalized producers to sustainability efforts. Such noble principles need some theoretical and conceptual frameworks to support them though. Free trade theories are many while the principle of comparative advantage is the most predominant among them. The basis on which free trade is advocated by its supporters is determined by a series of arguments which in turn are associated with neoliberal perspectives. In the first place globalization is the logical premise used by supporters of international free trade to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Employer rights and responsibilities workbook Essay Example for Free

Employer rights and responsibilities workbook Essay 1.1 Equal opportunity: Equal and fair treatment, ensuring that people have equal access to opportunities and that the diversity of the work forces in value. * Equal Pay Act 1970 and its implementation Act 1975: to insure that men and woman would receive the same pay and conditions. * Sex Discrimination Act 1995 and Regulation 2003: to insure that men and woman are treated equally and fairly at workplace. * Disability Discrimination Act 1975: to deal with discrimination against an employee or potential employee because of their disability. 1.2 Employment protection: Outlines the duties, rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. * Employment Act 2002: to give additional rights to the employment. * Employment Rights Act 1996: Where employees are entitled to maternity and paternity leave and termination of employees. * Employment Relations Act 2004: to deal with employee relations and the operation of the statutory recognition for trade unions. 1.3 Health and Safety: Laws that keeps everyone safe and reduce hazard and manage skills, at work. * Health and Safety at work Act 1974: to raise the standard of health and safety for all individuals at work and to ensure the environment is safe and non hazardous to the health of employees. The employer and employee have common responsibility for health and safety. Read more:Â  Statutory Responsibilities and Rights of Employees and Employers Essay Task 2. * Job contract. * HR Department. * Policy and Procedures. * Team leader, NW manager, etc. * Job description (terms and conditions). * Citizen Advisory Bureau. * Unison. * Solicitor. * Employment Tribunal. * Advice agencies. Task 3. * Grievance procedure: Any grievance to the terms and conditions of employment should be discussed with manager. If the matter is not solved then it should be pursued with the grievance policy. * Disciplinary matters: The Trust has a Disciplinary procedure policy in the HR Department and also at the work place. Any breach of the Disciplinary rules will lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal. If the employee is dissatisfied with the formal disciplinary action then the employee has the right to appeal within 21 days of written confirmation of the disciplinary action taken. The aim of the Disciplinary Procedure for all staff of the trust is to ensure uniformity of treatment between one individual and another and between one group of staff and another. To ensure justice for individual employees, to provide protection to the efficiency and smooth running of the trust, work place, etc. This procedure applies to all the staff employed by the trust. * Rehabilitation of offenders Act: The employee is required to disclose to the trust of any caution, conviction, bind-over’s, motoring convictions or police proceedin gs. The employee is also required to apply for CRB. * Confidentiality: An employee has a duty of confidence to patients and a duty to maintain professional ethical standards of confidentiality. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 anyone working with personal information in any form must ensure it remains confidential and that only people who need the information have access to it and that only minimum information necessary is processed. Task 4. Employee number- It is a number assigned to an employee by the employer. Employee name Name of the person who is an employee. Tax code – This is number followed by a letter. It tells the amount of tax to the employer to be deducted from employee. This is based on information given by HMRC. National Insurance Number – It is a personal and unique number of an employee, who keeps it throughout his/her life during/ when applying for employment. Net pay year to date This section shows how much have been paid in the financial year. It shows how much National Insurance and tax have been made. Pay before deductions (gross pay) – The amount of employees wages before deduction of tax, pension and national insurance. The deductions made for income tax – This is a tax on each individuals income paid to the national government to spend on other services such as NHS, Defense, social security and public services. The deductions for a pension – A deduction from the employee wages for his/her retirement and to increase the income for pensioner. The amount you actually receive (after deductions) – It is the totally amount (net) of money the employee will take home after all the deductions have been made. Task 5. Grievance policy: Grievance is a dispute between employer and employee. It is basically any disagreement between them. Regarding to the grievance policy at work: * Employers should have their grievance procedure in writing and make sure that all staff are aware of any policy or procedure. * At early stage, the grievance has to be given a chance to be dealt informally with the immediate line manager. Pursuing the formal routine should be a last resort rather than the first option. * Employees should let the employer know the nature of the grievance and issue on time. * Employers are responsible to arrange any formal meeting without unreasonable delay to investigate and to establish the facts of the case. * Employers should allow the employee to be accompanied at any formal meeting and should permit the employee the right to appeal against any formal decision made. Task 6. Personal information kept by my employer about myself is: Name, Date of birth, bank details, NIC umber, address, telephone number, next of kin, tax code, education and qualification, training and courses attended, CRB check, personal health or any health conditions. Employers need to keep some personal information about their employees, as required by law and some for employer’s purpose, as well as in line with Data Protection Act 2003. Under the Data Act 1998, employees are entitled to have access to their own personal information, in order to verify or correct any inaccuracy. Stored – ESR, Electronic records. Access Network Manager, Manager, HR Department. Task 7. My Role, Responsibilities and job description: I carry out my role and duties with full responsibility that are agreed in my job description in line with the Policy Procedure of the organization, as well as Health and safety. My role, responsibilities and job description include: * Being a Key worker, I need to support Service users to convene, set dates and invite identified individuals to their PCP at least once every 4months. * Support service users to access activities of their choice within and around the local community. * Support service users who wish to go on holiday, to plan and access holidays of their choice. * Ensure all the assessments/paperwork for service users are completed. * Ensure any items purchased by service users or on their behalf are recorded on inventories. * Ensure that service user’s health records are up dated and reflect their current health and outcome of appointment attended. * Attend training courses/meetings to update/maintain knowledge and skills to carry out Support Worker/ key worker role effectively. * Where required work with professionals, in order to dev elop and set up appropriate guidelines for service users. * Support service users to attend health appointments and if possible a Key worker should attend the appoint ment to make sure there is continuity. * Ensure to bring to attention of the Team leader/Network manager of issues related to Service users which affect their health or prevent them from achieving goal/action. General Responsibilities: * To support all service users at home with their daily routine eg personal care, dressing, meals, etc. * To support service users to be as independent as possible by promoting independence in all aspects of their lives. * To offer choice in all aspects of daily living. * To provide a clean and pleasant home environment, in both private area and communal areas. * To provide support to service users to attend their activities and appointments e.g. shopping, family visits, disco, etc. * To administer medication and maintain accurate record of Marr Sheet, financial transactions and record any accidents or incidents which may occur. My role affects the running of the setting by carrying out my duties responsibilities as team member and by working in the best interests of the service users, as I am providing emotional, moral and practical support according to their needs. Task 8. Other health professionals are: * GP/Doctor. * Nurse/ District nurse. * Physiotherapist. * Dentist. * Reflexologist. * Psychologist. * Psychiatrist * Speech and Language therapist. * Care manager. * Social services. * Chiropodist/ podiatrist. * Epilepsy Dr/Nurse. * Opticians. My role is to assist these Health Professionals to carry out their duty/job according to their profession in order to improve the health of service users. These health professionals may provide: * Offer advice, information, diagnosis or treatment related to the service user. * May prescribe medicine/ drugs or may refer to another professional for further tests/opinions. * Advice support worker/key worker to carry out the treatment at home or use the equipment out home eg Flowtron boots. * Advice support worker to carry out the guidelines and report of any changes which may be harmful for service user or treatment not improving the health of the service user. It is my responsibility to work alongside the health professionals to ensure the well being of the service users and to provide them the services they need to be in good health. Task 9. * Team leader. * Network manager. * Operational manager. * Social worker. * Physiotherapist. * Podiatrist. * Nursing e.g. children, adults, mental health. * Reflexologist. * Occupational therapist. * Health care jobs: Ambulance Care assistant. * Speech and language therapist. Task 10. My own professional development plans: Short term: I would like to complete NVQ3. Medium term: To update my mandatory and other trainings according to my employer. Look for any other new things going on in my work sector. Long term: look and find a Diploma/degree which is interesting to me. Then according my knowledge and skills, I would like to apply for that Diploma/degree course in a college or university, where available. Task 11. Issue: Cost cutting. Key points in favor: To save money for the future. Key points against: Lack of resources. Providing poor health care. Low morale among staff. Issue: Privatization of NHS. Key points in favor: To build a better health care sector. To provide better quality of care. Key points against: Good quality of care will be provided to a person who can afford it but not everyone. Employers may not like the strict terms and conditions of the job. Old and vulnerable people may not receive good quality of care as they may not afford it as they are on benefits/pension, etc.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Propylene Glycol as a Pharmaceutical Excipient in Pediatrics

Propylene Glycol as a Pharmaceutical Excipient in Pediatrics Disha Patel The Utilization of Propylene Glycol as a Pharmaceutical Excipient in the Pediatric Field Abstract As a widely used excipient in pediatric formulations, propylene glycol functions as a solvent, emulsifier, humectant, and hygroscopic agent. It is a clear, colorless liquid whose properties enable it to have pharmacodynamic applications. Oftentimes, propylene glycol is combined with other mediations to enhance its penetration. For instance, a combination of 20% propylene glycol and 5% lactic acid in a semiocculusive cream base is used as a highly effective and well-tolerated keratolytic in patients with lamellar ichthyosis and possibly could be in various other hyperkeratotic diseases. Unfortunately, though to a lesser degree, this excipient is associated with toxic effects such as hyperosmolality, hemolysis, and lactic acidosis. Also, in concentrations greater than 10%, propylene glycol may act as an irritant in some patients (Health Effects 2). From a pharmacokinetic viewpoint, there is a potential of renal toxicity associated with propylene glycol and lorazepam. The high concentra tion of propylene glycol contained in certain intravenous drug products, such as phenytoin, diazepam, digoxin, and etomidate, may induce thrombophlebitis. Here, the patients increased serum creatinine concentrations are likely to have resulted from exposure to propylene glycol due to lorazepam infusion. Serum osmolality and osmol gap may be useful markers for propylene glycol toxicity. Much like the above mentioned applications, through its chemical composition, propylene glycol has the ability to exert a beneficial effect on pediatric formulations (Webbook 5). Introduction Propylene glycol, which is also known Propane-1,2-diol, is a colorless, viscous, organic liquid with a slightly sweet taste. This excipient is utilized in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations. Examples of pharmaceutical applications include therapeutic drugs such as vaccines, cough syrups, local anesthetics, antiseptics, vitamins, and hormones. It is produced through the fermentation of yeast and carbohydrates. Propylene glycol is industrially made from propylene oxide. It is made from either a catalytic or a non-catalytic method which exposes the propylene into extremes of temperature and a small amount of sulfuric acid or alkali to yield propylene glycol for industrial purposes (Frequently Asked Questions about Propylene Glycol 1). It is concluded that, with extensive research, this excipient is categorized as safe in the body. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry, in the body, under conditions of normal low exposure, propylene glycol is quickly metabolized and excreted. Its metabolic pathway is comparable to that of sugar: propylene glycol is quickly converted into lactic acid, similar to what happens with the energy in the muscles when exercising. Afterwards, the lactic acid is excreted via urine (Database of Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Reviews 2). Surprisingly, from a toxicological point of view, alcohol is more toxic than propylene glycol. Propylene glycol has been used safely for more than 50 years in a large variety of applications. As a result, it is effectively used in prescription medications such amoxicillin (500 mg), clindamycin hydrochloride (150 mg 300 mg), gabapentin (300 mg), lyrica (50 g 75 mg), and omeprazole (20 mg) (Result Filters 4). Through statistical data, it is overwhelmingly evident that there is a continually growing market for propylene glycol. According to the IHS website, United States (19%), Western Europe (39%), Japan (17%), and China (80%) had the largest consumption (Inactive Ingredients in Pharmaceutical Products 5). Since it has been proven safe with a relative low toxicity level, it is projected that the consumption of propylene glycol will rise (IHS Home Page 4). The Effects of Propylene Glycol in Pediatrics Pharmaceutical medications are composed of two very essential ingredients: active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients. The purpose of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in a drug is to elicit a specific therapeutic effect on the patient. Specifically, when the drug is consumed, it will exert a necessary effect on the body in order to produce an ideal outcome: the therapeutic response (TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR PROPYLENE GLYCOL 3). The component of the drug is the excipient, which is an inactive ingredient utilized for possible multifunctional usage. For instance, an excipient can be binders, coatings, diluents, disintegrants, fillers, flavors, colors, lubricants, glidants, sorbents, preservatives, sweeteners, and solubilizing agents. Oftentimes, they do acquire some extent of therapeutic acclivity, though less than the API. Similar to many other drugs, propylene glycol functions both, as an API and excipient-an indication that multiple functions can have multiple benef its (AccessMedicine [41168448] 2). Additionally, medications are tailored to a specific age group to maximize the therapeutic effect for the patient. Therefore, criteria for an ideal drug for the pediatric population will undoubtedly differ from the criteria for the geriatric population. Routes of administration suitable for pediatrics include oral, topical, rectal, inhalation, injectable and drop (eye, ear, and nose). Propylene glycol enters the body as an alcohol and metabolizes in the bodys enzyme pathways. These pathways do not mature in humans until 12 to 30 months of age. Proper judgment when administering a propylene glycol-based formulation to neonates is crucial in order to prevent potential complications (PubChem 1). In comparison to adults, new born babies have a propylene glycol half-life of 16.9 hours rather than a significantly lower 5 hour half-life for adults. In one study, the use a multivitamins whose contents included propylene glycol resulted in serum osmolality in low-birth-weight premature babies. However, in another research activity, phenobarbital injections containing propylene glycol were deemed to have an inconsequential effect on the osmolar gap (AccessMedicine [40400741] 4). A higher amount of propylene glycol delivered per dose, such as 3 grams, is known to cause more seizures in infants, in comparison to those receiving lesser amounts per dose, such as 300 mg. In a population of 262 patients treated for burns, roughly 3 percent were the result of topical propylene glycol which resulted in hyperosmolality (Potential Safety Concerns with the Large Amount of Propylene Glycol 2). Since propylene glycol is a liquid excipient, it affects the gastrointestinal tract. However, studies of people and animals show that if you have repeated eye, skin, nasal, or oral exposures to propylene glycol for a short time, you may develop some irritation. Furthermore, extensive studies performed have concluded that there are no severe risks of propylene glycol in infants. Thus, it is assumed to be safe if consumed in moderation. The oral liquid formulation also illustrates a high compliance rate amongst infants. Simple considerations such as route of administration and effective concentrations can help achieve a therapeutic response (AccessMedicine [40400741] 6). The chemical composition of propylene glycol is relatively simple: alcohol groups with a hydrocarbon backbone. To an extent, this simplistic structure plays a broad role in various applications ranging from industrial to pharmaceutical uses. Generally, neonates can be exposed to propylene glycol orally or topically. Absorption through oral intake is significantly more effective than on the skin. Once propylene glycol reaches the site of action, it is rapidly metabolized and subsequently excreted (A-Z Index 9). In the blood stream, the half-life of the excipient is approximately 2-4 hours in adults. However, in neonates, it is drastically longer (17 hours). Pertaining to its mechanism of action, it is further metabolized to lactate which is further metabolized to pyruvate, carbon dioxide, and water. Through utilization of the gluconeogenic pathway, glucose is formed. Even though the safety the propylene is apparent, extremely large exposures to propylene glycol have the potential to r esult in lactic acidosis and hyperosmotic changes in the blood (Health Effects 4). Extensive research has provided sufficient evidence on the safety and quality of this excipient. To begin, numerous sources indicate that propylene glycol has a dramatically low degree of toxicity. It is associated with moderately low concern for acute toxicity by ingestion, skin contact, and inhalation. There have been reports of altered nervous system function because of high oral exposure to propylene. Normal metabolism of this excipient can be negatively affected through blood pH and osmotic changes. Furthermore, animal studies also confirm the relative low risk of propylene glycol (Webbook 2). For example, a longitudinal study performed on rodents with extremely high exposures to the excipient presented no indication of adverse effects. Consequently, a similar study performed on cats illustrated hematological changes. High aerosol concentrations inhaled by rats caused minor nasal and ocular signs that may have been due to mild irritation or drying effects of propylene glycol on mucous membranes. On a positive note, there is no correlation to cancer from the use of propylene glycol (AccessMedicine [45774923] 1). Pharmacological Profile of Propylene Glycol Propylene glycol, with a formula C3H8O2, is readily miscible with water, acetone, and chloroform. In reference to its structure, it contains an asymmetrical carbon atom, so it has two enantiomers. Since the commercial product is a racemic mixture, pure optical enantiomers can be achieved by the hydration of optically pure propylene oxide. Upon the mixture of propylene glycol and water, the freezing point of water is drastically depressed. Because of this, it is used as a de-icing fluid for vehicles. With the exception of ethylene glycol, glycols are generally known to be non-corrosive and have low volatility and toxicity. Even with the strict criteria established for pediatrics, propylene glycol satisfies the requirements for safe administration to pediatric patients (A-Z Index 5). Furthermore, it is derived from propylene oxide and its production methods include either catalytic- proceeds at 150  °C to 180  °C in the presence of ion exchange resin or a small amount of sulfuric acid or alkali, or non-catalytic- high-temperature process at 200  °C to 220  °C (IHS Home Page 3). Even though this paper focuses mainly on propylene glycol’s purpose as an excipient in pediatric formulations, it has an overwhelmingly degree of other applications. A certain amount (45%) is used as chemical feedback for the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins. Chemically speaking, propylene glycol reacts with a mixture of unsaturated maleic anhydride and isophthalic acid to give a copolymer. Continuing further crosslinking, thermoset plastics are produced from the unsaturated polymers. Similarly, propylene glycol also reacts with propylene oxide to produce oligomers as well as polymers that are utilized to form polyurethanes (Frequently Asked Questions about Propylene Glycol 2). As proven be multiple research articles, this excipient is proven safe. The extent of safety is measured by plasma concentration: â€Å"Serious toxicity generally occurs only at plasma concentrations over 1 g/L, which requires extremely high intake over a relatively short period of time.† However, there is always an uncertainty and accidental occurrences. For instance, rare cases of propylene glycol poison were largely related to either inappropriate intravenous administration or accidental ingestion of enormously large quantities by children (Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet 9). Conclusion As proven through this research paper, propylene glycol is an effective ingredient for pediatric use. Since there was no established linkage between cancer and its use, it is popular for multiple uses. Several considerations should be utilized in formulating pediatric medications-specifically, the ingredients in the formulation. With its multiple uses, propylene glycol is well-suited for children for its safety and effectiveness. Like all ingredients, propylene glycol may produce adverse effects in the patient, but drastically less harmful than others. Since an enormous quantity must be consumed before toxicity level is reached, it is well suited for children. With viscous properties, upon consumption, it has the potential to elicit a faster therapeutic effect on the patient. Therefore, it is both potent and efficacious. In all, this ingredient proves to be a significant element to the overall formulation of a medication, regardless of the age group targeted (Webbook 5). Bibliography A-Z Index. ATSDR. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=1120tid=240>. Database of Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Reviews. AccessData. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnDetailNavigation.cfm?rpt=scogsListingid=262>. Frequently Asked Questions about Propylene Glycol. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.propylene-glycol.com/uploads/PropyleneGlycolAdvocacybrochure.pdf>. Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet. New Jersey Department of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/3595.pdf>. Health Effects. ATSDR. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp189-c2.pdf>. InactiveIngredients in Pharmaceutical Products: Update (Subject Review). Peditrics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/99/2/268.full#sec-11>. Potential Safety Concerns with the Large Amount of Propylene Glycol. Natap. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.natap.org/2000/may/potential_safety051500.htm>. Propylene Glycol. PubChem. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=1030>. Propylene Glycol. Webbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C57556Mask=8>. Propylene Glycols. IHS Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.ihs.com/products/chemical/planning/ceh/propylene-glycols.aspx>. Result Filters. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14524641>. St. Johns University Academics Schools Libraries. AccessMedicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com.jerome.stjohns.edu/content.aspx?bookid=348sectionid=40381672jumpsectionID=40400741>. St. Johns University Academics Schools Libraries. AccessMedicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com.jerome.stjohns.edu/content.aspx?bookid=388sectionid=45764289jumpsectionID=45774923>. St. Johns University Academics Schools Libraries. AccessMedicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com.jerome.stjohns.edu/content.aspx?bookid=392sectionid=41138958jumpsectionID=41168448>. TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp189.pdf>.